One of the most important things to know about sponsorship is just how much you matter to the child you support. When children receive letters or gifts from their sponsors, they are filled with joy. Your prayers, words of encouragement and financial support can change a child’s life.
When we asked children in our program what they wish their sponsors knew, their unique answers often echo a few common truths:
Sponsors help them grow spiritually.
Sponsors build their self-esteem.
Sponsors help make their dreams possible.
To find out why sponsorship makes such a difference in their lives, hear what young people in Latin America and the Caribbean say they wish their sponsors knew.
“It’s Time to Write Your Sponsors”
“Come inside. It’s time to write your sponsors,” a tutor calls to the children playing outside. They hurry into their Compassion center and take their seats.
“What would you like to tell them?”
The room grows quiet as the children think. They think about the soccer goal they just scored, whether there will be food at home tonight or if their father found work today.
Hoping to spark a few ideas, the tutor suggests gently, “OK. What about telling your sponsor about your favorite sport?”
He knows how much their sponsors mean to them. The children talk about them like family. However, sometimes, the kids just don’t know how to put those feelings into words.
So we asked kids in the Compassion program what it means to them to have a sponsor and what they wish their sponsors knew. Here’s what they said.
1.Sponsors Help Children Grow Spiritually
By sharing Scripture, encouragement and personal faith, you help nurture spiritual growth in the child you sponsor.
This is clear in the life of 11-year-old Josué. He lives in a dangerous community in El Salvador that is ruled by gangs. Every day, Josué faces a choice: follow the influence of gang members or listen to the wisdom of his parents, the staff and volunteers at his child development center, and his sponsor.
“In this community, children are often harassed by gang members. When a sponsor writes encouraging words in a letter, it’s important,” says Esmeralda, Josué’s tutor at the center.
“When they share the gospel and offer advice, it changes the way children see the world. Josué has never lacked guidance — his sponsor constantly encourages him. He’s motivated to become a different boy.”
While Josué keeps every letter close, one stands out.
“Each of my letters brings me joy, but there's a special one that filled me with happiness,” Josué says. “It motivates me to follow the principles of the Bible and work harder in school — not wasting time on useless things.”
“In that letter, my sponsor told me, ‘Maybe sooner than we both think, we will call you Pastor Josué, or Doctor Josué, or soccer star Josué or even pilot Josué.’ But the one I like the most is Pastor Josué. I appreciate that someone I’ve never met in person believes so much in me.”
Through words of encouragement and consistent support, Josué’s sponsor is helping him put God’s truth into practice — and shaping the man he’s becoming.
Brenda is another young person who experienced spiritual encouragement through sponsorship. As a young teenager in the Dominican Republic, she struggled with depression. But her sponsor’s prayers and letters reminded her she was seen and loved.
Brenda, now 19, says those words helped her overcome depression. Today, both she and her sister have a relationship with Jesus.
“I accepted the Lord when I was 13 years old after one of the preachers at the center’s summer camp talked about depression,” Brenda says. “I related to all he said. It all made sense. I could understand that [God] gave me good spiritual leaders like my tutors and sponsors.”
“I found a lot of love here at the center. If I start thinking about my life without God, I cannot even tell where I would be. Finding God and His love in the center made the difference in my life.”
Through Compassion’s local church partner and her sponsor’s support, Brenda found healing, hope and faith.
2. Sponsors Help Build Children’s Self-Esteem
Words of love and affirmation help children see themselves through God’s eyes.
Nine-year-old Weslin from Nicaragua knows what it’s like to feel left out. Born with a cleft palate, he has undergone several surgeries. At school and in his community, he is used to being bullied and excluded.
Everything began to shift with one simple act: a letter written by his sponsor.
“I never had many friends,” Weslin says. “Many of the boys bullied me because sometimes I have a hard time with my classes.
From the very first letter, his feelings of isolation started to reverse. His sponsor’s words helped him to believe that he’s God’s special creation. “My sponsor told me she was praying for me and that I was special in the Lord’s eyes. She told me that the Lord loved me, and I had to love myself, too.”
Weslin says, “Her words made me feel special. I want her to know that her words changed my life; they taught me to love myself.”
Through those letters, Weslin began to see himself the way God sees him: deeply valued and fully loved.
Taïna in Haiti knows the impact of a sponsor’s words. The 19-year-old has exchanged letters with her sponsor for years. She says each one gives her confidence and reminds her that she is loved.
As she prepares to graduate from the Compassion program, Taïna reflects on how much those words have meant to her.
“Reading a letter from my sponsor always fills my heart with immense joy,” she says. “It makes me feel valued and loved by someone I haven't even met yet.”
For Taïna, the consistent encouragement in her sponsor’s letters helped her believe in her worth and trust that God has a purpose for her life.
“Feeling loved and appreciated is priceless. This feeling grows in me every time I read the messages of affection in my sponsor's letters. My sponsor helps me have confidence in myself and encourages me to work hard to achieve my goals.” — Taïna
3. Sponsors Help Make Children’s Dreams Come True
Sending a birthday gift, Christmas gift or family gift can help make a child’s dreams come true.
Seven-year-old Estiven dreamed of owning a bicycle and racing through the streets with his friends on a hot summer day in Honduras. His parents wanted to give him that joy, but their limited income had to go toward rent and food. A bike felt out of reach until Estiven received a birthday gift from his sponsor.
He remembers the moment staff at the Compassion center shared the news.
“I was thrilled because I was told I could buy whatever I wished for,” Estiven says. “I dreamed of having a bike and playing on it with my friends. My parents agreed to buy me the bike with the gift, and I could not be happier.”
Today, Estiven uses his new bike every day.
“After I finish my homework, I ride my bike and help my mother run errands. I wish I could tell my sponsor how much she means to me and my family. She makes me feel special and loved.”
Even a simple gift can show a child that they are known, valued and supported.
In Mexico, 10-year-old Iker and his family dreamed of something even bigger than a bicycle — a home of their own. The family of six was living together in a single room in his grandparents’ house. Though they owned a small piece of land next door, they couldn’t afford to build on it.
That began to change when Iker received a financial gift from his sponsor.
“What excites me the most about having our own house is that we will finally have our own space and more space to play!” says Iker. “I would tell [my sponsor] that I feel extremely thankful for all the gifts and support she has given us.”
Thanks to his sponsor’s generosity, Iker and his family are one step closer to a space they can call their own.
